This month’s moment is by Wendy Leung-Baumann, associate at Sanctus and novice in spiritual formation.

“Proximity produces resemblance, who or what are you becoming like? Have you spent time with the King recently?” The words of the young baseball cap wearing pastor rang out from the front of the packed small town church in Vail Colorado Sunday past. They sounded so textbook spiritual formation but this time it felt different. Like the couple on the Emmaus road, ‘didn’t our hearts burn within us’?

A month ago I had never even heard of Vail (as a Brit my US geography is limited), yet here I was now, worshipping God in the Rocky Mountains, post bone-graft shoulder surgery for my son, with one of the best orthopedic surgeons in America at a US Olympic Medical Centre.

The road to get here was wrought with anxiety, doubt and worry that I felt even in my body, at times literally feeling sick to my stomach. Even the day before the surgery, we did not know if it would all work out, if the multiple insurance parties would sort themselves out, if we would even get there in time; a sudden power outage at Denver Airport put a ground stop on all flights for hours and we didn’t know if we could land and make it for surgery the next morning.

Most of the time there was nothing I could do except pray and cling to scripture. BUT GOD…he taught me a lesson in TRUST. He taught me life trusting Him is the only way to live. Kingdom living is a great and glorious adventure! I am also eternally grateful for the small band of saints he sent to rally me through this.

I never really understood what Dallas Willard meant when he said “saints burn grace like a 747 burns jet fuel”, but now I get it! I experienced his outpouring of grace, in gallons; the full extent of which is still being revealed. In the valleys I spent time with the King, I flopped into his arms and his grace lifted me.